United States' Jozy Altidore and Graham Zusi celebrate during the 2014 World Cup qualifying match against Jamaica. Photograph: Andres Leighton/AP

Jürgen Klinsmann can pick an unchanged team

They said it couldn't be done by a US team. No, not beating the Mexicans at the Azteca; or defeating Italy on Italian soil; or putting four past (an admittedly second-choice) Germany. All those things have been accomplished, and by a US side coached by Jürgen Klinsmann, no less. But until his team took the field at "The Office" on Friday night, Jürgen Klinsmann had never fielded the same team for consecutive games.

There have been understandable reasons for some of the variations of course (aside from the generic variables of injuries/suspensions) — from Klinsmann's desire to look at new players early in his reign, to the USA's fairly unique position of its domestic league schedule being out of sync with the rest of the world (leading to the MLS-heavy squads for the January camps that have given Geoff Cameron, Graham Zusi, and now it seems, Matt Besler, their breakthroughs). Somewhere in the mix has been Klinsmann's unearthing and incorporation of German-American players into the side, and the domestic commitments of Mexican-league-based American players. And while it is less an issue when it comes to first team selection, the long-term strategic focus of Klinsmann's remit shouldn't be forgotten either — the oversight of root-and-branch overhaul of the country's youth and senior development strategy.

But coaches don't tend to be judged on long term strategic development, at least not by many, and generally not until long after they've gone. They are judged on qualification for, and performances in, major tournaments. And while the developmental arc of building for those can be obscured by selection experiments and appetizing but ultimately meaningless friendlies, there inevitably comes a point when any coach has to stop saying "trust me, I have a plan" and demonstrate exactly what it is he is asking us to trust in. This mini run of qualifiers will take us through the halfway point of the final qualifying campaign for the World Cup and it feels about the right time for the coach to become more emphatic in his decisions. And if it's suggestive of a distance runner beginning the long kick for home, that would suggest that the next lap, the Gold Cup, will be an interesting selection exercise too, in solidifying just who Klinsmann sees as serviceable depth for Brazil.

Klinsmann has been criticized at times for his selections — the ambivalence over Jozy Altidore, the hesitancy over Omar Gonzalez (and arguably, given recent mistakes, the persistence with him), the carousel of defensive midfielders. The defense against these criticisms has been a consistent wiping clean of the slate, but we're maybe at last close to seeing Jürgen Klinsmann sign his name on his first team sheet. GP

The spotlight shifts to midfield

Of course, even if repeat selections by the coach were to become the norm rather than the exception, there will always be areas of the team that seem to be subject to the greatest scrutiny — thought the reasons might become a little more nuanced as the incumbents in various position settle into those places. The more Gonzalez solidifies that central defensive spot, for example, the more he can expect to hear about his occasional lapses in concentration or positioning, as talented and assured as he undoubtedly is. Altidore has finally transferred his Dutch league goalscoring form back to the international stage and goals in consecutive games have silenced some of the questions surrounding his spearheading of the US attack, and the disproportionate reliance on Clint Dempsey's goals that came with sticking with a non-scoring Altidore. But the question of "who to lead the line?" is a different one from "how do we get the best out of who's leading the line?"

And with Klinsmann looking like he's settling on a back four for the immediate future, Dempsey playing off Altidore and the deep midfield pairing of Bradley and Jones looking like they're achieving the required mix of bite and shape-holding, the two interesting spots are the players either side of Dempsey, who will define much of the approach play that will indeed supply Altidore.

For the last two games those have been Fabian Johnson and Graham Zusi. Johnson has been the more enigmatic of the two in terms of what he does for the team's shape. He's drifted inside on diagonal runs on occasion, and lost markers in doing so, and there's potential value in that if Klinsmann sticks with that approach (whether or not it's Johnson who fills that role). It may mean he seems to go missing on occasion, and there will be games, or sequences of games, such as in Jamaica's energetic first half midfield press, where there's nowhere for him to drift to but into trouble, but that's a calculation the coach must make.

Zusi's appeal is more obvious, though those who have their doubts about him at the very highest level might also suggest that his qualities are those most obviously negated by the best full backs. He likes to play wide and can deliver telling balls either from set pieces or on the run — and his beautiful cross for Altidore to open the scoring against Germany was potentially as significant as a blueprint as it was for helping his frontman break his scoreless sequence for the US. The knock on Zusi may be the impression that a confident full back could show him into less dangerous or congested areas, hand him off to a well-drilled midfield, or just mark him out of receiving the ball in space as he likes it. Also, the fact that we're speculating on what his ceiling might be works in both the player's favor and detriment. On the one hand Zusi keeps passing the tests he's given, or shows enough to suggest he can develop to pass them. On the other hand he's playing in a position more usually occupied by a very known quantity — one Landon Donovan. But it's to both players' credit that both seem accepting of the fact that as it stands, and with Klinsmann honing his squad for the run in to Brazil, Zusi is not a placeholder but the incumbent. GP

Fullbacks at the extreme of Klinsmann's positional spectrum

One of the biggest benefits to Jürgen Klinsmann's generous assimilation of German-born Americans was the depth players like Fabian Johnson, Timmy Chandler, and on occasion Danny Williams provided at the full back positions – spots that have proved troubling amid concerns about Steve Cherundolo and one-time left back Carlos Bocanegra. So it was with some irony that Friday, the day the U.S. secured their first qualifying win in Jamaica, USA played with American-born midfielders at left and right back. The irony was further heightened when, at match's end, the U.S had as many natural defenders in midfield (two, Johnson and Geoff Cameron) as in the back line.

Neither left back DeMarcus Beasley nor right back Brad Evans were without fault, but what they lacked in natural defensive instincts was made up in an adaptability – a quality Klinsmann has preached throughout his tenure. Be it in his selection, scheduling, or tactical policies, Klinsmann has seemingly gone out of his way to expose the U.S. to adverse conditions, the lessons from which were embodied by his Friday full backs. Un-phased when beaten, each man showed the type of cool the U.S. has lacked from an inconsistent back line, with each veteran's contributions going forward augmenting a midfield that often lacks support in wide spaces.

It was only appropriate that it was Evans that secured the U.S. two extra points, his 92nd minute goal providing some needed context on the importance of the fullback positions. While nobody would begrudge the importance of players like Phillip Lahm, Leighton Baines, or even an attacker like Dani Alves, those type of talents are scarce. Had Bill James gone into soccer, his positional spectrum may have made fullbacks analogous to the defensive value of baseball's left fielders and first basemen. When you don't have talents like Lukasz Piszczek, Darijo Srna, or Yuto Nagatomo, your full backs all of a sudden become quite fungible.

The most basic view of players is always the most useful, with a coach's ability to see them as a collection to talents (rather than bound by particular spaces and roles) allowing for the kind of adaptation Klinsmann leveraged on Friday. Beasley and Evans delivered, as did Johnson and Cameron in midfield, as has nominal No.9 Eddie Johnson when used on the wing. And as injuries and suspensions thin out his squad ahead of qualifiers against Panama and Honduras, Klinsmann's ability to plug in new pieces could lead to a surprisingly smooth qualifying campaign. RF

Seattle Sounders fans put Cascadia first

Last year's four-pack of "open bowl" games saw 236,387 people move through the gates at CenturyLink Field, more than three other teams drew during their entire home schedules. This year, the four-game stretch where Sounders FC opens the upper deck of their stadium, increasing the official capacity from 38,500 to 67,500, should top that number, with the 53,679 who saw Seattle defeat Vancouver 3-2 on Saturday opening what's becoming an annual series.

For one night, however, Seattle's prodigious attendance was juxtaposed against a disappointing number – the last reported sales figure for the U.S. Men's National Team's Tuesday World Cup Qualifier against Panama at CenturyLink. The 36,000 in sales confirmed as of Saturday almost guarantees the Vancouver derby will outdraw the national team, something that will be an ironic reflection on a community that long derided U.S. Soccer for not taking advantage of Seattle's large, vociferous crowds.

"Anywhere in the world, I think your club team is going to get more than the national team, in some situations," Seattle's U.S. international Brad Evans, just returned from Jamaica, explained at halftime on Saturday. "If [the Sounders] were getting 15,000 every game and then getting 35,000 for the national team, we'd be singing a different tune. But the fact that we get [near 55,000] tonight and we're only getting [35,000] on Tuesday night? I think we're going okay."

Tuesday's number will be the largest of the qualifying cycle, but that's not the point. For years the Seattle community had espoused the virtues of placing meaningful (not just friendly) matches in front of their mammoth crowds. So now that U.S. Soccer has obliged, why aren't the mammoth crowds flocking?

"The U.S. Soccer federation waited a really long time to give the Seattle area this game," explains Dave Clark, manager of the SSFC community site SounderAtHeart.com and former member of the fans' Alliance Council. Clark cites the Cascadia rivalry, four-pack, and ability to plan around long-standing match days as factors in the attendance disparity, yet he also notes the 30-year gap between Seattle's meaningful national team matches. "It's really hard to connect to a country when they don't play nearby."

"I'm an American soldier," says Clark, a lifelong Pacific Northwest resident who served in the U.S. Army. "I love America, but the fact is I was able to see the Kuwaiti national team easier in my life than I was to see the American national team."

Seen from another point of view, the attendance divide highlights a Sounder brand that has more community penetration than any in Major League Soccer. The effects are not only seen in the sellouts and the national team's disappointing ticket sales but also in the trouble the local National Women's Soccer League team, Seattle Reign FC, have had marketing themselves to a huge but heavily pro-Sounder market.

That's led to the criticism that Seattle's fans support the Sounders, not soccer, as if there two are distinct. They're not. Right now, Sounders FC is soccer in Seattle, and despite the presences of Evans and Eddie Johnson, the national team may as well be a completely unrelated product. RF

Surprisingly, Frank Yallop the second to go

After the artist better known as Chelís (José Luis Sanchéz Solá) won Major League Soccer's sack race on May 29, it was assumed Ben Olsen was in pole position to get the league's next pink slip. Yet three days ago, an unlikely candidate overtook the D.C. United boss, with Frank Yallop agreeing to part company with a San Jose team he steered to a Supporters' Shield just eight months ago.

For somebody with Yallop's résumé, it was a shocking announcement, even if the decision was being portrayed as mutual. Yallop was in his second stint coaching San Jose, his first ending when he elected to coach his national team, having already led the Earthquakes to two MLS Cups. In 2008, he signed on to the club's reboot, his place in both versions making him (along with Chris Wondolowski) a de facto face of the franchise.

This season, San Jose had disappointed, as their eighth place standing in the West attests, but few blamed Yallop. Injury-riddled and suspension-saddled, San Jose has seen Steven Lenhart, Alan Gordon, Marvín Chavez and Steven Beitashour miss significant time. Simon Dawkins, a player Yallop highlighted in preseason as a key loss, has never been replaced, leaving his team with far fewer midfield options.

So after five-plus years on the job, Yallop may have run out of tricks, a state that should be a source of worry for some of the league's less established coaches. After all, if San Jose could part with someone so prominent in their franchise's history, judgment may be near for MLS's other slow starters.

Olsen's already said he should be on the hot seat, and although D.C. United got a point at the resurgent Revolution on Saturday, the result is unlikely to placate critics. United, a team that's scored six goals in 14 games, was again held scoreless, registering only one shot on goal. With a growing divide between coach and star player (Dwayne DeRosario), there are no solutions on D.C.'s horizon.

Like United, Chicago is another Eastern Conference team who, having made the playoffs last year, were expected to be competitive in 2013. But even after the team's two-goal comeback on Saturday to draw Portland, the Fire's bottom line remains problematic: 13 games; 12 points; three wins; 10 points out of a playoff spot.

Neither Olson nor Klopas have Yallop's bonafides, yet while the latter's out of a job, the two former U.S. internationals persist. But with San Jose having seen enough, the question is whether (or when) D.C. and Chicago will follow suit. RF